Railway wheel checking device



y 29, 1952 M. w. GIESKIENG' 2,605,392

RAILWAY WHEEL CHECKING DEVICE Original Filed Feb. 4, 1948 flllllli llllllllllfllll lll lilll IIIIIIF'IIIIIIIIIVHII'llll llllll IN V EN TOR. MAB/00f h/G/ES/f/f/VG BY W ' ATTORNEY Patented July 29, 1952 RAILWAY WHEEL CHECKING DEVICE Marion W. Gieskieng, Denver, 0010.

Original application February 4, 1948, Serial No.

6,310, now Patent No. 2,574,474, dated November 13, 1951. Divided and this application August 20, 1949, Serial No. 111,487

7 Claims.

This invention relates to a damaged wheel checking device for railways, and this application is a divisional application of Serial No. 6,310, now Patent Number 2,574,474, issued November 13, 1951, co-pending herewith. Many wrecks are caused by broken wheel flanges and broken wheel treads. It is difficult to locate all of these breaks by mere visual inspection. It is also impossible at present to inspect the wheels while the train is in motion.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a simple and highly eflicient wheel checking device which will automatically inspect and locate damaged wheels on a train while the latter is in transit.

Other objects and advantages reside in the detail construction of the invention, which is designed for simplicity, economy, and emciency. These will become more apparent from the fol-' lowing description.

In the following detailed description of the invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawing which forms a part hereof. Like numerals refer to like parts in all views of the drawing and throughout the description.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a section of railway track modified to incorporate the damaged wheel indicating circuits of this improved wheel checking device for detecting broken wheel rims;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged cross-section, taken on the line 2-2, Fig. 1, illustrating the position of conventional car wheels in place on the track;

Fig. 3 is a section through a track rail, arranged for indicating broken wheel flanges with the improved checking device; and

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail section showing the attachment of a contact strip used in this invention.

In the drawing a conventional car wheel rim is indicated at ID with its flange at H.

The present wheel checking device is designed for indicating both broken wheel flanges and damaged rims. In Figs. 1 and 2 one arrangement for indicating broken rims is illustrated This arrangement consists of a special section of track of any desired length, but at least of suflicient length to exceed the circumference of the largest wheel to be checked.

This section of track consists of two outer easer rails l2, two inner gauge rails I3 and two inner guard rails 14. The three rails at each side of the track are maintained in fixed spaced relation by means of a filler strip [5, suitable spacers l6, and tie bolts [1. The inner edges of the gauge rails [3 are set at the standard gauge and the outer edges of the easer rails l2 substantially align with the outer edges of the wheel rims Hi. The flangeways between rails I3 and M are standard width.

In applying, this invention, the top of each auge rail I3 is lowered out of contact with the rim [0 of the normal wheel and the top is mortised to receive a contact strip l8 supported from the rail upon suitable electric insulation I9. The strips I8 are preferably formed from hardened, Wear-resisting steel or other hard metal. The insulation 19 may be ofv any suitable type capable of preventing the passage of electric current and of supporting relatively great weight, such as pressed fiber or the like.

The upper surfaces of the strips l8 are positioned sufficiently far below the upper surfaces of the easer rails l2 so that they will not contact the tread of a normal wheel, as shown in Fig. 2 preferably about below the latter. Should the portion of the rim l0 which rides on the easer rail I2 be broken away or otherwise damaged, the entire wheel will drop sufliciently to cause the tread to contact the strip 18. This contact is employed to close an electrical circuit to any suitable indicating device or signal.

One circuit for this purpose-is illustrated in Fig. 1, there being a similar independent circuit for each side of the track. Each circuit preferably employs a relay 20 operating an armature 2! between an opening contact 22 and a closing contact 23. The relay arrangement is such that the armature will close with the closing contact 23 before it breaks with the opening contact 22. A battery 24 or other source of power is provided. The capacity of the battery is such as to overload the relay 20.

A conductor 33 leads from the contact strip I8 to the opening contact 22 and a first battery conductor 25 leads from the battery, through a resistance 26, to the closing contact 23. A rail conductor 21 leads from the rail l2 to the battery conductor 25 between the battery 24, and the resistance 26. A first signal circuit wire 28 leads from therelay 20 and a second signal circuit wire 29 leads from the armature 21. A second battery conductor 30 leads from the other pole of the battery 24, through a switch 3 l to the first signal circuit wire 28. The other side of the relay 20 is connected to the second signal circuit wire 29 by a connection 32.

The operation of the device is as follows: should a break in the rim [0 roll over the rail l2 it will allow the entire wheel to drop into contact with the strip l8. This throws the full battery charge through the relay 2! through conductors 33, 29, 32, 28, 3B, 25, and 21. This snaps the armature 2| against the closing contact .23, which substitutes the resistance 26 for the rail and strip conductors 21 and 33. A circuit is now completed tothe signal circuit wires 28 and 29 from the battery 24 through the conductors 30 and 25 and through the resistance 26 and armature 2!. The signal circuit may be employed for operating any type of visible or audible signalling or recording device such as indicated diagrammatically by a bell 43 to indicate a broken rim exists on one side or the other of the track. After the indication has been recorded, the circuit to the relay is broken at the switch 3| and returns to normal.

For indicatin a broken flange a second section V of track is prepared similar in length to the section of Fig. 1 and having a cross section at each rail as indicatedin Fig. 3. The broken flange indicating track consists of two gauge rails 34 spaced at the proper track gauge and in alignment with the gauge rails i3 previously described. A guard rail 35 is positioned inside of each gauge rail to provide the proper width offlangeway therebetween, the two rails being separated by a flange block 36 and tied together by means of suitable bolts 31. They could, howevenbe formed as a single unit.

The wheels are supported on their flanges H which ride in a flange groove 38 in the tops of the flange blocks 35. The tops of the rails 34 are positioned below their normal position, and below the tops of the guard rails 35, and out of contact with the tread of a normal wheel- The tops of the rails 34 are grooved or mortised to receive second contact strips 39 mounted in suitable electrical insulation 40. v

The second strips 39 are formed from hard metal such as hardened steel similarly to the first strips i8 and their upper surfaces project slightly above the upper surfaces of the gauge rails 34.

It can be readily seen that if the flange H be chipped or broken it will allow the wheel tread to descend onto the strip 39 closing a circuit therewith. The circuits may be similar to those shown in Fig. l in which event the conductors 33 would be connected with the strip 39 and the conductors 21 would be connected with the flange strip 33, in any desired manner.

The strips !8 and 39 may be secured to their respective rails in any desired manner. One method is shown in Fig. 4, in which cap screws 4| are counter-sunk into the strips and threaded into the rails. The cap screws are insulated from the strips by means of suitable surrounding insulation 42.

The purpose of the resistance circuit is: first, to allow a momentary impulse of the full battery strength to close the relay so as to obtain a quicker closin action to facilitate rapid train sired to be understood that the same may be varied, within the scope of the appended claims,

and out of contact with said strip so that any abnormality in the periphery of said wheel will allow the wheel to descend into contact with said strip; and a signal circuit including said strip and said supporting means for giving an indication when said contact is made.

2.. A broken wheel indicator for a railway wheel comprising: a continuous, fixed, electrical-conducting contact strip extending along beneath the path of said wheel; a track member upon which a portion of the periphery of the wheel rolls, said track member being insulated from said strips and being positioned to support a normal wheel in vertically spaced relation to said strip so that any missing portions in the periphery of said wheel will allow the wheel to drop into physical and electrical contact with said strip; and a signal circuit including said strip and said track member for giving an indication of said contact. 7

3. A damaged wheel checking device for railways comprising: a pair of metallic, wheel-supporting rails for supporting an axle-connected pair of railway wheels, said rails being spaced apart a distance exceeding the normal gauge of said pair of wheels so that only the outer portions of the rims of said wheels will ride on said rails; a continuous, fixed, electrical-conducting, contact member insulated from and positioned inside of, and parallel to, each rail below and in spaced relation to the remaining portions of the rims of said wheels, so that any abnormality in the outer portions of said rims will allow-themner portions thereof to descend into electrical contact with said member; and signal circuits including said members and said rails and'arranged to give a signal when said contact is made.

4. A damaged wheel checking device for railways as described in claim 3 having guard rails acting against said wheels to maintain said outer rim portions on said first rails.

5. Means for detecting a broken flange on a railway car wheel comprising: a flange track member along which the flange of said wheel rolls to support the latter; a flxed,'continuous, electrical-conducting contact strip positioned below the path of the rim of said wheel, said strip being electrically insulated from said track member; and a signal circuit including said flange track and said contact strip so that when a defective flange allows said rim to drop into contact with said strip, said circuit will be closed to give asignal.

6. Means for detectinga broken flange on a railway car wheel comprising: a flange track member along which the flange of said wheel rolls to support the latter; a fixed, continuous, electrical-conducting contact strip positioned below the path of the rim of said wheel, said strip being electrically insulated from said track member; a relay; an electric circuit including said strip, said relay and said flange track so 'that when a defective flange allows said rim to drop into contact with said strip, said circuit 'will be closed to operate said relay; meansfo'r'holding trical signal circuit including said strip and said 10 Number rail so that when a broken portion of the outer edge of said rim allows said rim to descend into 6 i contact with said strip, said signal circuit will be closed. v

MARION W. GIESKIENG.

5 REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date 2,408,553 Gieskieng et a1 Oct. 1, 1946 2,442,491 Gieskieng et a1. June 1, 1948 

